As a crisp wine without wood aging, Vidal is very clean with floral and resinous notes

Philippines wine supplier Manila wine shop discusses wine by the grape variety Blaufrankisch.  This is not well known among wine lovers in Manila but it is a wine that is worth exploring.

October 27, 2010

Vidal Blanc, also known as Vidal 256, is a versatile grape that can be made into a bone-dry, steely wine for fish, a barrel-aged wine reminiscent of a Fumé Blanc, or an ice wine that can rival the best dessert Rhine wines produced in Germany.

Vidal Blanc is a white grape that was developed in the 1930’s by the French hybridizer, Jean Louis Vidal. Monsieur Vidal’s primary goal in developing Vidal Blanc was to produce grapes suitable for the production of cognac (a wine that is made to be distilled into brandy and then aged in wood) in the Charentes region of France. He had no idea that his work would lead to the development of a grape variety that is as versatile as it is for the production of table wines and of great importance to the Eastern United States wine industry. Vidal Blanc tends to be grown in Michigan, Pennsylvania, New York, and New England.

Vidal Blanc is a hybrid that crosses: a) the grape alternatively called St. Emilion in Cognac, France, Ugni Blanc in the south of France, and Trebbiano Toscano in Chianti, Italy; with b) the French-American hybrid grape hybridized by Albert Seibel called Rayon d’Or (Seibel 4986). St. Emilion (aka Ugni Blanc and Trebbiano Toscano) is also used in Europe for the production of wine that is later distilled to make Cognac and Armagnac in France, and distilled spirits in Italy.

As noted earlier, this grape can make a wide range of wine styles including austere wines for fish, big fat Fumé Blanc-style wines if aged in oak, and Rhine wine-like dessert wines. The Hudson Valley, due to its climate, is capable of producing each of these three distinct styles.

As a crisp wine without wood aging, Vidal is very clean with floral and resinous notes that include flavors of pineapple, grapefruit, melon, hazelnuts, pears and orange blossoms. It has high acid levels, so sometimes residual sugar is left to balance with the acid so that the wines do not taste too tart. Other times it is made bone-dry and austere. Further, the wines can have the feel of May Wines in their fruit composition, mineral flinty body and viscosity.

As a Fumé Blanc type of wine, the grapes are left on the vine for a longer period of time (two weeks longer than most or until about the first week of October) to increase their sugars and more importantly to reduce the grape’s acid profile. After being made, the wine is aged in wood for at least six months to soften its body, brighten its nose, give it more complex smoky notes and rich spice and butter flavors, and to elongate its finish. These wines are much more approachable than the steely Vidals described earlier. This style of Vidal is more nutty, buttery, complex and “greasy” (like gin). These wines have the flavor of ripe pears, orange rinds, vanilla, and almonds.

As an ice wine, Vidal has the classic Rhine wine qualities of rich honey, citrus flavors reminiscent of Grand Marnier, and hazelnuts, with an underlying metallic finish like mineral water. The reason these Vidal ice wines, like other ice wines, are so rare and expensive is that the grapes stay on the vines until late November or December. While hanging, the grapes shrivel like raisins, so when they are finally pressed, the grape yields little juice. But this juice is highly concentrated in flavor and sugar. These wines are great alone or with chocolate desserts.

Vidal Blanc is also used by several Hudson Valley wineries as a base wine that is blended with other grapes such as Seyval Blanc, Chardonnay, and Vignoles. Vidal, on its own, has a more muted nose when compared to other white wine varietals, but it has a solid body and foundation. Vidal can be blended with other whites to brighten its taste and to add complexity.

Personally, I like blended Vidals because they tend to be more interesting, more complex, and more complete than the individual component wines that make up these blends. So when visiting a local winery, ask about their white blends and what grape varieties are used in those blends. For fun, buy a few different varietal wines and have a blending party to see what blends you and your guests can come up with.

Vidal Blanc, due to its versatility in the cellar, its ability to be blended with other white wines, and its ability to be grown throughout the Hudson Valley, should continue to have a prominent place in the Hudson Valley wine scene for decades to come.

“Vidal Blanc” and “Pinot Noir” articles are adapted from the forthcoming book “Grapes of the Hudson Valley” by J. Stephen Casscles. In future issues of Hudson Valley Wine magazine, we’ll feature additional excerpts from this definitive work on regional varietals culled from decades of the author’s tasting notes and personal experience.

Leading Philippines Wine Supplier Yats Wine Cellars based in Clark Philippines with outlets in Angeles City, Subic Freeport and Manila Philippines has been not only a wine shop for fine wines covering all major wine regions but also a source of reliable and useful information about wine, wine appreciation, wine accessories, wine and health, food and wine pairing and all other matters relating to wine and its appreciation.  This Philippines Clark Freeport based Wine Supplier and Wine Shop frequently holds public wine tasting events in Pampana Clark Freeport Zone, Angeles City, Subic Bay area, Makati, Fort Bonifacio and other areas in Philippines capital city Manila.  Private Wine events such as private wine tasting and private wine dinners are also designed and organized for private clientele for their wine loving guests.

Wine Catering is a unique product of Yats Wine Cellars, created back in 2005 in response to a growing demand for private wine parties in Manila, Cebu, Subic, Angeles Clark Philippines.

Chateau Lafite-Rothschild is the most revered wine in China and many other parts of Asia.  The best wine shop in Asia to buy older vintages of Chateau Lafite is Yats Wine Cellars located in Clark Philippines.   Aside from Lafite, visitors can buy other fine wines at this wine shop in Clark Pampanga such as Latour, Mouton-Rothschild, Haut-Brion and Margaux.  Excellent Burgundy wines like Chambertin, Vougeot, Musigny, Bonnes Mares, Pommard, Meursault, Chambertin, Vosne Romanee, Romanee Conti, La Tache and Romanee St. Vivant can be found here.

Yats Wine Cellars can be reached at their Clark Wine Center Philippines wine shop located on the main highway M A Roxas of Pampanga Clark Freeport Zone or their sales office in Ortigas Centre, Metro Manila.  Here is the contact information:

Clark Wine Center

Bldg 6460 Clark Observatory Building

Manuel A. Roxas Highway corner A Bonifacio Ave,

Angeles Clark Freeport Zone, Pampanga 2023

0922-870-5173 0917-826-8790 (ask for Ana Fe)

Wine@Yats-International.com

YATS Wine Cellars

Manila Sales Office

3003C East Tower, Phil Stock Exchange Center,

Exchange Rd Ortigas Metro Manila, Philippines 1605

(632) 637-5019   0917-520-4393  ask for Rea or Chay

Best place to buy wine in Clark Pampanga outside Manila near Subic and Angeles City Philippines is Clark Wine Center.